2013-02-28 - Never Easy
Because Kenzie asked for a more personal lesson with powers, Alex had asked her to meet him in the Danger Room. Instead of a full program running, he has a series of targets set up and a couple obstacles. Because Kenzie is already a member of Gen X, she has the clearance to train here instead of in the gym, which makes things a lot easier on Alex as a whole. He's currently standing in the middle of the room, clad in his normal workout gear, waiting for Kenzie to arrive. Kenzie would arrive rather promptly, though she certainly had an uneasy expression on her face. In her hands was her shoulder bag, inside were the gauntlets which helped to regulate her powers. She had been using them for nearly two weeks, and was seeing steady return on her powers, but the problem was she still struggled to control them. Like learning how to walk again, this would take the girl time. Luckily she had Alex to help her out. Moving into the Danger room proper, Kenzie would call out "Mornin alex", moving towards him, "What's doin t'day?" Alex Summers smiles. "Good morning, Kenzie. Today, I'm going to give you what you asked for earlier this week. Some one on one time to help you with your powers." He waves the girl further into the room. "We're going to try some things first without the gauntlets, because we don't want them to become a crutch for you. Trust me, I had to wear a suit that regulated my powers for awhile...but I relied on it too much, so when it was destroyed I was at a loss. I don't want that to happen to you." Alex Summers smiles reassuringly. "I know. But you know you can't hurt anything in here, and Scott and I can handle your powers to a certain extent, so don't worry about hurting me, either." The Summers brothers absorbed energy pretty much all the time. It was part of their passive powers. "But to be safe, I'd like to start off small." He motions his hand and a large target appears off to the side of him. "Shoot that with your railgun." Kenzie's eyes go wide, her glasses slipping down on her face. Those white/blue/purple spheres surging with energy, never changing, and yet always different at the same time. The chaos of electrical energy. "You...uh.." she looks down, fishing a dime out of her pocket, "You uh, sure ya wan me t'try?" she asked, eyeing the target. Alex Summers moves to step behind her. He nods. "Yes. It's just like riding a bike, Kenzie. You never forget how, you just have to manipulate your body. Remember, emotions fuel your power. Do the exercise we did in class earlier this week. Find your center...remain calm..and focus. Feel the energy flow through you. Don't force it, let it fill you up and then project it towards the target. You can do this. I have faith in you." Kenzie nodded, closing her eyes and took a slow, deep breath. She was nervous, this would be the first time in months that she would attempt the railgun. Holding her arm out, dime between her fingertips, pointing at the target the girl gritted her teeth as her eyes sparked, coils of energy began to race along her body; the immediate area around her would seem a subtle breeze as the plasma the arcing electricity created displaced the air. Suddenly, the energy would rush up the girl's form and down her arm, as it always did, circling her hand and fingers before there was a bright flash and an explosion not 6 inches from her hand sending the girl backwards with a yelp! Something had gone wrong, and her railgun discharged its kinetic energy immediately rather than waiting for its magnetic field to be disrupted! Alex Summers steps forward to catch Kenzie before she hit the ground. "It's okay. Take a moment to focus and we'll try again." He knew the girl was immune to her own power and the small amount of energy she gave off, he was passively absorbing. "There are going to be setbacks, but that's why we're here. Try it again." Once she's stable, he steps away from her again and motions to the target. Kenzie moved to return to her feet after Alex catches her, looking down at her hands. That was a close one, like having a firecracker go off near your hand. "Y...yeah.." she was scared, "Look you sure dis is safe? Ahh ain't never had one of dem e'splode in mahh hand and aint sure ahh'm lookin forward to it." She knew what he would say, and was already preparing for her next volley without needing to be told. A nickle it would seem is her next 'bullet'. Alex Summers idly rubs his chin. "I think the reason that happened is because you're subconsciously afraid of your power. Just like you were when you first came to us. You've got to put that fear, that nervousness, out of your mind. Clear your thoughts of outside influence...focus on nothing but the target." Kenzie looked back at Alex, biting her lip. Her eyes still chaotic little plasma spheres as she let her heart race, but as she began to focus her breathing once more, the chaos slowed down. The little sparks in those orbs easier to see, the multitude of colors within clearer than before. "Ahh'm just.." she said "Every tahhm ahh pull on these powers, ahh remember...when he drained me. When ahh was plugged in." and the real root of the problem was out in the open. "Its just..hard to face." Alex's expression turns softer. "I know. But you have to try to put that out of your head, Kenzie. Every time you let that bastard in your thoughts, you're giving him further power over you. You can't let him control your life anymore. I know you have it in you to do this." He turns her around to face him. "Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the ability to do what's necessary in spite of that fear. I have seen you demonstrate it countless times. Now, shoot the target." He turns her around to face it once again. Kenzie is turned gently to face the target. Lifting her arm, she clutched the nickle in her fist before extending her index and middle finger, taking aim as the girl let her body do what came naturally to it, produce energy. Her body did that in spades, the girl's hair flicking about as her electricity raced around her. "Never again" the girl said softly under her breath as the electricity rushed around her, circling her arm as she let the shot fly. This one went wide, making it about 3/4 of the way to the target before exploding on its own. Progress to be sure. Sweat was beading on her brow as she panted slightly, each shot still taking quite the toll on her as she struggled with her recovery. Alex Summers grins. "Better. Much better. Let's take a break from this for the moment. Give you some time to recover. I want to work on something else." The target disappears back into the floor. "Do your air skate." The ground changes from it's normal color and gains properties that would allow Kenzie to do her air skate and rail grind. "I know this is taxing for you, especially without the gauntlets, but pushing yourself is key in gaining your full strength back. I won't ask you to do anything that will jeapordize your health. But you asked me what kind of things would be necessary in re-gaining power. This is it." Kenzie looks down, pushing energy out the bottom of her boots, and almost immediately she feels the floors pull locking her to the ground, actually leaning forward enough to be accused of doing the 'Smooth Criminal' lean. "Christ ahh missed this" she said softly though as she leaned back she realized how taxing this was. "Ahh c'n try." she said softly before letting her magnetic core change, repelling the natural pull of the earth ever so slightly. Her feet lifting inches from the ground, Kenzie leaned back only to slip and end up laying a hand full of inches off the ground. "Damn it.." she said before relaxing and letting her self touch down "Aint gonna be as easy as ahh'd hoped" she said softly, moving to stand again and pushing off. "But..uh..somethin about an omelette..right?" she laughed, leaning into her push off, letting her feet glide ailing the ground, wobbly like learning to roller skate for the first time again. Alex Summers chuckles. "Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. But you're doing well..keep it up. Go all the way around the room a few times. Let your body get used to the feeling again." He watches her as she goes. He was confident that her power block was a mental one, stemming from her fear of Egg Head and what he did to her. His goal was to free her of that block. Kenzie soon let herself slip into the routine of skating along the outer ring of the room, pushing off, gliding. It was peaceful for her. She may not be able to go swimming, but who but her had the ability to skate over a rug, or concrete floor? "Ahh missed dis" she commented as she passed Alex, conveniently 'forgetting' she's supposed to grind as well. Alex Summers replies with a small smirk. "I'm sure." But he wouldn't be a very good teacher if he didn't keep pushing boundaries. As Kenzie skates, obstacles begin to appear in her path. Small waist high barricades and pits. She would have to react quickly to avoid them. Kenzie cursed under her breath as she noticed those obstacles, her feet suddenly clamping down as she almost went into one of the pits. Sparks flaring out from under her feet as the magnetic seal she created anchored her in place. Soon she was on all fours backing up, and then in a hard sprint she pushed off, jumping to leap over the pit, moving to kick off a nearby low wall to give her enough 'oomph' to make the distance before tumbling to the deck on the other side of the hole. "Unfair!" she called out as she moved back to her feet, resuming her ordered laps. Those pits were a clear threat to her as she skated about, and soon she was more focused on avoiding them than she was clearing them. Alex Summers simply smiles when she yells out that it was 'unfair'. Continuing to stand in one spot, when she begins to dodge the pits, he changes where they occur. Sometimes the floor simply disappears while she's actually on it. Bars come out of the wall and take a swipe at her as she goes. "Anticipate it, use your instincts to react." Classic danger room training. Kenzie doesnt just default to her powers, letting the 'flow' of the whole thing begin to take over. As she moved, the girl tried to let her body react, rather than reacting by moving her body. One of the bars bolting from the wall and before she realizes it, she's grabbed onto it, pulling her self up onto it only to use the added height to jump over a wall nearby. She was getting better at this, at least in the danger room scenarios. Though the girl had her own plan, darting ever closer to alex, moving to try and 'tag' him. Alex Summers doesn't move from his spot. The computer doesn't recognize him as being part of the program. Even when Kenzie tags him, he simply smirks and watches as the entire room continues to shift and move. "Seems you've taken to the air skate thing a lot better than the railgun. Good..but stay on your toes!" Kenzie nods, but she was already beginning to tire out, pushing her self hard to keep up with Alex's expectations, or at least what she perceived as such. But it wasn't long before the girl was just running, her skate long since over. And soon after that, just standing next to Alex and panting. Alex Summers ends the program and pats Kenzie on the shoulder. "You did great, Kenzie. We'll do this again next week. And to think, you didn't even use the gauntlets." He winks faintly. "Alright, time for you to hit the shower. I've still got my own workout to do. Scoot." He nods towards the exit. Kenzie was slow on the way out, feeling like she'd run several marathons. She gives a smile to Alex on her way out before heading to her room to get ready to bathe. She would likely sleep hours early tonight. With her powers on the mend, Kenzie was doing well with recovery, but now she needed to finish, to regain the control she once had.